Burnage Academy for Boys, formerly known as Burnage High School for Boys, is a secondary school with academy status, located in

Burnage Burnage is a suburb of the city of Manchester in North West England, about south of Manchester city centre and bisected by the dual carriageway of Kingsway. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, the population of the B ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, England.

History

Grammar school

Wartime Barrage Balloon in the sportsfield of Burnage High School - geograph

The school was founded in September 1932 as Burnage High School on its current site on Burnage Lane. At an ceremony on 21 October 1932, the school was officially opened by Sir Boyd Merriman and the school choir performed

Edvard Grieg Edvard Hagerup Grieg ( , ; 15 June 18434 September 1907) was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the foremost Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use of ...

's "Song of Olav Trygvason". In the early years, the school was organised around the house system, sports teams were formed and a school magazine was printed. A number of school plays were staged, including '' Ambrose Applejohn's Adventure'', '' Dr. Knock'', '' Seven Keys to Baldpate'' and '' The Anatomist'', nurturing young acting talent such as that of

Alan Badel Alan Fernand Badel (; 11 September 1923 – 19 March 1982) was an English stage actor who also appeared frequently in the cinema, radio and television and was noted for his richly textured voice which was once described as "the sound of tears ...

, who later went on to appear on stage, film and television. Upon the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

in 1939, most pupils were evacuated to towns outside Manchester to avoid the hazards of bombing, and Burnage boys were sent to Leek, Ashbourne and

Wirksworth Wirksworth is a market town in the Derbyshire Dales district of Derbyshire, England. Its population of 5,038 in the 2011 census was estimated at 5,180 in 2019. Wirksworth contains the source of the River Ecclesbourne. The town was granted a mar ...

. Many former pupils of the school served in the forces during the war and 50 old boys were killed in action, later commemorated in a memorial plaque in the school hall.

Luftwaffe The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...

bombs were dropped on Burnage during the

Manchester Blitz The Manchester Blitz (also known as the Christmas Blitz) was the heavy bombing of the city of Manchester and its surrounding areas in North West England during the Second World War by the German ''Luftwaffe''. It was one of three major raids o ...

, and Burnage school was hit by three bombs, causing severe damage to the school hall and demolishing the organ. The school's first headmaster, Mr Albert H. R. Ball, left in 1942 to take up the position of Rector of the Royal High School in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

. After the war, the hall was repaired, and several years later was the organ was replaced. Around 1950 the school was given

Grammar School A grammar school is one of several different types of school in the history of education in the United Kingdom and other English-speaking countries, originally a school teaching Latin, but more recently an academically oriented secondary school ...

status with the traditional grammar school ethos and curriculum. In 1958, a four-storey concrete building was added at the rear of the old buildings. This building accommodated extra classrooms (following the post-war baby-boom) with the art rooms on the top floor. In the late-1950s to mid-'60s, the school was highly rated and competition for places was strong.

Comprehensive school

In 1967, Burnage Grammar School became a non-selective comprehensive, at a time when most grammar schools in Manchester were being disestablished following the abolition of the

Tripartite System The Tripartite System was the arrangement of state-funded secondary education between 1945 and the 1970s in England and Wales, and from 1947 to 2009 in Northern Ireland. It was an administrative implementation of the Education Act 1944 and th ...

in British schools. It became Burnage High School for Boys and merged with Ladybarn

Secondary Modern School A secondary modern school is a type of secondary school that existed throughout England, Wales and Northern Ireland from 1944 until the 1970s under the Tripartite System. Schools of this type continue in Northern Ireland, where they are usuall ...

, which was on nearby Briarfield Road/Parrs Wood Road, in

Withington Withington is a suburb of Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, it lies from Manchester city centre, about south of Fallowfield, north-east of Didsbury and east of Chorlton-cum-Hardy. Withington has a population of just ...

. The Briarfield/Parrs Wood Road site then became the lower school (for years 7 to 9) while the Burnage Lane site remained the upper school (for years 10 and 11 plus the

sixth form In the education systems of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and some other Commonwealth countries, sixth form represents the final two years of secondary education, ages 16 to 18. Pupils typically prepare for A-l ...

). In 1969 the school purchased a disused railway station, in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, and converted it for use as an outdoor education centre for pupils. In 2000, the sixth form was disestablished and the lower and upper schools were amalgamated on the Burnage Lane site, which was expanded by a new buildings including a Sports Hall. The old school buildings on Briarfield/Parrs Wood Road were then demolished and the site has since become a new housing development.

Media Arts College

In 2007, the school was given Media Arts College status and was renamed as Burnage Media Arts College in 2008. Despite this change, it remained an all-boys school for 11–16-year-olds. In 2010, the school was reconstructed under the

Building Schools for the Future Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was the name given to the British government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England in the 2000s. The programme was ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicia ...

initiative which saw the original 1930s and 1950s buildings replaced by a new building. The 1999 building was refurbished and the Sports Hall (built in 2001) was also improved with a new gymnasium. Upon completion of the new main building, the old buildings were demolished and the grounds they once stood on were resurfaced to provide all-weather sports facilities.

Academy

Previously a community school administered by Manchester City Council, Burnage Media Arts College converted to academy status on 1 April 2014 and was renamed Burnage Academy for Boys, however, the school continues to co-ordinate with Manchester City Council for admissions.

Headmasters

*1932–1942: Albert H. R. Ball (later Rector of the

Royal High School, Edinburgh The Royal High School (RHS) of Edinburgh is a co-educational school administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. The school was founded in 1128 and is one of the oldest schools in Scotland. It serves 1,200 pupils drawn from four feeder primar ...

(1942–1948) and headmaster of

Methodist College Belfast God with us , established = 1865 , type = Voluntary grammar , religion = Interdenominational , principal = Jenny Lendrum , chair_label = Chairwoman , chair = Revd. Dr Janet Unsworth , founder ...

(1948–1960)) *1942–1959: T. P. Spencer *1959–1977: S. Hughes CBE *1977–1981: J. G. Marshall *1981–1986: Dr G. Gough *2001–2020 : Ian Fenn *2020–current: Karl Harrison

Admissions

The school draws pupils from various districts of Manchester, including Didsbury,

Levenshulme Levenshulme () is an area of Manchester, England, bordering Fallowfield, Longsight, Gorton, Burnage, Heaton Chapel and Reddish; it is approximately halfway between Stockport and Manchester city centre on the A6. Levenshulme is predominant ...

Longsight Longsight is an inner city suburb of Manchester, England, located south of the city centre. It is bounded by Ardwick and West Gorton to the north; Levenshulme to the south; and Chorlton-on-Medlock, Victoria Park and Fallowfield to the west ...

Rusholme Rusholme () is an area of Manchester, England, two miles south of the city centre. The population of the ward at the 2011 census was 13,643. Rusholme is bounded by Chorlton-on-Medlock to the north, Victoria Park and Longsight to the east, F ...

Fallowfield Fallowfield is a suburb of Manchester, England, with a population at the 2011 census of 15,211. Historically in Lancashire, it lies south of Manchester city centre and is bisected east–west by Wilmslow Road and north–south by Wil ...

Hulme Hulme () is an inner city area and electoral ward of Manchester, England, immediately south of Manchester city centre. It has a significant industrial heritage. Historically in Lancashire, the name Hulme is derived from the Old Norse word ...

, Ardwick, and

itself. The majority of students live in Longsight, Levenshulme, Rusholme and Ardwick wards, which suffer from high levels of poverty, deprivation, and crime. As mentioned in its 2010 OFSTED report, over 90% of the school's students are from ethnic minorities, and over 64% are of South Asian heritage with more than 50% of all students speaking English as an additional language.

OFSTED Inspections

A full OFSTED school inspection was last carried out in October 2018, in which the school was given 'Outstanding' (Grade 1) status in overall effectiveness. The inspected areas included effectiveness of leadership and management ('Outstanding'), quality of teaching, learning and assessment ('Outstanding'), personal development, behaviour and welfare ('Good') and outcomes for pupils ('Outstanding').

Academic performance

In the school's 2018 OFSTED report, it was noted that pupils make excellent progress and achieve consistently strong results in their GCSE examinations. In 2018, Burnage pupils gained 29 grade 9s and a further 46 grade 8s between them. In accordance to progress 8 score ('this score shows how much progress pupils at this school made between the end of key stage 2 and the end of key stage 4, compared to pupils across England who got similar results at the end of key stage 2') the school has above average progress for boys (+0.26).

Academic performance - historical data

In the school's 2002 OFSTED report, it was noted that overall examination grades for students at the school in recent years were well below the national average. The school has had consistently improving GCSE results since 2001 (with the exception of 2005 when results dipped, and in 2013 when there was a sharp drop). GCSE performance results as published by the

Department for Children, Schools and Families Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education. DCSF was replac ...

(DCSF) since 2001 are as follows: Percentage of students achieving 5 or more GCSE A* – C results or equivalent (national average for each year in brackets): * 2001: 23% (50%) * 2002: 33% (52%) * 2003: 38% (53%) * 2004: 42% (54%) * 2005: 35% (56%) * 2006: 38% (58%) * 2007: 40% (61%) * 2008: 50% (65%) Percentage of students achieving 5 or more GCSE A* – C results ''including English and Maths'' (national average for each year in brackets): * 2005: 27% (44%) * 2006: 33% (46%) * 2007: 28% (46%) * 2008: 33% (48%) * 2009: 40% (50%) * 2010: 43% (54%) * 2011: 50% (59%) * 2012: 56% (59%) * 2013: 43% (59%) Percentage of students achieving 4 and above in English and Maths (new 9-1 grading): * 2017:63% * 2018:60% * 2019:65%

Controversies

In September 1986, the school made headline news when 13-year-old Asian pupil Ahmed Iqbal Ullah was fatally stabbed in the lower school playground by another 13-year-old pupil, Darren Coulburn, in what was believed to be a racially motivated attack. Coulburn, a

juvenile delinquent Juvenile delinquency, also known as juvenile offending, is the act of participating in unlawful behavior as a minor or individual younger than the statutory age of majority. In the United States of America, a juvenile delinquent is a person ...

who had already burned down the school art block in 1985 causing £50,000 of damage, was convicted of murder and detained indefinitely. The incident severely damaged the reputation of what was once a well-respected school in the district, and launched the MacDonald Inquiry into racism and violence in Manchester schools. The

Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre The Ahmed Iqbal Ullah Race Relations Resource Centre is "one of Europe's leading specialist libraries on migration, race and ethnicity" open to members of the public as well as to students and researchers. It increases access to and visibility of ...

, established in 1999, was named in Ullah's memory. Between 2009 and 2011, Salman Ramadan Abedi, the attacker of the

Manchester Arena bombing On 22 May 2017, an Islamist extremist suicide bomber detonated a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb as people were leaving the Manchester Arena following a concert by American pop singer Ariana Grande. Twenty-three people were killed, including ...

, attended the school. While attending he was among a group of students who accused a teacher of

Islamophobia Islamophobia is the fear of, hatred of, or prejudice against the religion of Islam or Muslims in general, especially when seen as a geopolitical force or a source of terrorism. The scope and precise definition of the term ''Islamophobia'' ...

for criticising suicide bombing. In 2009, the school made headline news when teacher Mohammed Sarwar was arrested after police had obtained evidence that he had been leading a double life as the mastermind behind a major local drugs gang who had a large-scale operation to deal

cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Ameri ...

and

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...

. Sarwar, who was known as "The Teacher" to his gang, had taught IT at the school for seven years until his arrest. In April 2011, he was convicted and sentenced to 21 years in prison. In 2012, the school made headlines again when former supply teacher Mutasem Alqtaishat was arrested for fraud after he collected weekly payments from young players at a local basketball club that he coached at and deposited the payments into his personal account for his own use over a five-month period. Alqtaishat received a 13-week prison sentence (suspended for one year), and was ordered to pay £400 and perform 180 hours of unpaid community service. In 2013, he was also struck off by the Teaching Agency for a minimum period of two years.

Notable former pupils

Burnage Academy for Boys

* Salman Abedi – suicide bomber in the

Burnage High School for Boys

* Lamin Deen – Olympic bobsleigh competitor and soldier * Darren Beckford – former Manchester City footballer * Jason Beckford – former Manchester City footballer *

Wes Brown Wesley Michael Brown (born 13 October 1979) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), defender. Brown began his career with Manchester United F.C., Manchester United, jo ...

– former Manchester United and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

footballer. * Peter Coyne – former Manchester United footballer and England Youth Team player *

Jim O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of Gatley Terence James O'Neill, Baron O'Neill of Gatley (born 17 March 1957) is a British economist best known for coining BRICs, the acronym that stands for Brazil, Russia, India, and China—the four once rapidly developing countries that were thought ...

– economist and government Minister * Luthfur Rahman OBE –

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Labour Party

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...

in the

City A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and Executive Member for Skills, Culture and Leisure in Manchester City Council. *

Aziz Ibrahim Aziz-Ur-Rahman Ibrahim (born 16 March 1964) is a British guitarist. He was born in Longsight, Manchester to Pakistani parents. He is best known for his work as guitarist with Simply Red, The Stone Roses (post-John Squire) and their former vo ...

– guitarist (worked with

Simply Red Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The lead vocalist of the band is singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. Since th ...

the Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. One of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist Ian Brown, ...

) * Paul McGuigan – original

Bass player A bassist (also known as a bass player or bass guitarist) is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass (upright bass, contrabass, wood bass), bass guitar (electric bass, acoustic bass), synthbass, keyboard bass or a low br ...

with Oasis * Dale Hibbert – original

with

The Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to eme ...

, Author of "Boy Interrupted" * Brian Sterling-Vete – author, Guinness World Record Holder, motivational speaker, film-maker, TV presenter, actor, and entrepreneur. *

Menelik Watson Menelik Watson (born 22 December 1988) is an English former professional American football offensive tackle. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State. Early ...

– professional

American Football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player ( Offensive Tackle for the Oakland Raiders from 2013 to 2016, and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

from 2017–present)

Burnage Grammar School for Boys

– stage, film and television actor *

Roger Byrne Roger William Byrne (8 September 1929
England Football Online. Retrieved 6 June 20 ...

– Manchester United and

footballer killed in the Munich air disaster *

Michael Croft John Michael Croft, OBE (8 March 1922 – 15 November 1986) was an English actor, schoolteacher, and writer. Based upon his own experience of supply teaching in tough secondary schools, he wrote the controversial 1954 anti- corporal punishment ...

– founder and Director of the National Youth Theatre * Norman Foster, Baron Foster of Thames Bank – architectBurnage High School for Boys – Manchester UK
* John Hutton – author * Sir Stephen Sherbourne CBE – Conservative political advisor *

Mike Smithson Mike Smithson may refer to: * Mike Smithson (British journalist) (born 1946), British journalist, Liberal Democrat politician, and political betting expert *Mike Smithson (Australian journalist), Australian news reporter *Mike Smithson (baseball) ...

– editor (since 2004) of Politicalbetting.com *

John Smithson John Smithson (* March 1952) is a British film and television producer. Family John's brother is the political blogger Mike Smithson. Together with David Darlow he co-founded the production company Darlow Smithson Productions in 1988. In Jun ...

– BAFTA award-winning film producer

References

Citations

Sources

External links

* * (archived 2010 entry)
Archive photographs of the former Burnage Lower School

Archive aerial photo of the former Burnage Upper school building
{{authority control 1932 establishments in England Boys' schools in Greater Manchester Secondary schools in Manchester Educational institutions established in 1932 Academies in Manchester